Long Beach, Calif. – To celebrate its second year as an official sponsor of Formula DRIFT, Ford Motor Company will continue its support of Mustang drivers Vaughn Gittin Jr. and Justin Pawlak in the third round of the seven-event series in Miami, May 30-31. Ford also will host a sweepstakes in conjunction with Formula DRIFT events for a custom Fiesta ST.

“The competitiveness of Ford Mustang and the passionate fans convinced us to return to Formula DRIFT this year,” said Steve Ling, Ford North America car marketing manager. “Outsiders sometimes ask why we support Formula DRIFT so strongly. Anyone who follows the sport knows it’s the perfect place to connect with enthusiasts who value performance as much as we do at Ford Motor Company.”

Ford has supported drivers in Formula DRIFT since 2005, when the sport triggered a successful Ford Racing performance parts engine development program for a supercharged 4.6-liter V8 crate engine. This year, crowd favorites Gittin and Pawlak are competing again in customized Ford Mustangs. Gittin won round two of the series in Atlanta earlier this month, drifting his way into second place overall.

Winner Vaughn Gittin Jr.

Photo by: Larry Chen / formulad.com

“Fans enjoyed seeing Ford’s capabilities on the track last year,” said Mickey Matus, Ford Racing marketing communication manager. “The two Mustang drivers consistently finished at the top, keeping Ford in the hunt for the manufacturers’ cup throughout its first year.

Following Gittin’s recent victory in Atlanta, we’re confident our drivers will continue to show the Formula DRIFT world that Mustang is a winner.”

Amidst the excitement of North America’s foremost professional drifting championship, Ford is giving fans the opportunity to enter online to win an EcoBoost®-powered Fiesta ST. Anyone can enter the contest while watching the hot action online each weekend at www.formulad.com.

“It’s great to have Ford Motor Company back in the series again in 2014,” said Ryan Sage, Formula DRIFT vice president and cofounder. “The excitement level is at an all-time high with the news of a custom Fiesta ST to be given away at our events. Fans can expect to be blown away.”

“The hot new Fiesta ST featuring the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine is a huge hit, especially among the tuner crowd,” said Ling. “So we partnered with Formula DRIFT to create an innovative way to give one to a lucky fan. We added a Ford Racing performance parts exhaust, some cool new wheels and touches to make this a true, one-of-one car. We plan to show it off at the Long Beach competition, at the event in Monroe, Washington, in July, and at the Irwindale series finale in October.”

The first official drifting series in North America, Formula DRIFT has taken competitive motorsports to the extreme, attracting fans and car enthusiasts from all walks of life. High-skilled and high-powered – drivers intentionally maneuver cars into controlled slides at high speeds through a marked course – this season’s competition features pro drivers and teams running seven events. Judged on speed, execution and style rather than fastest time, drifting is a crowd pleaser that’s often compared to the freestyle nature of skateboarding and motocross.